((Authors Note -
Please note that this is Adult Fiction, so should only be read by those who qualify!
It's been a while, but I've been thinking about doing something involving mind control for a while so eventually decided that I ought to put something on paper so to speak and share it with the world!
It's evolved into a short mini-series and here's part 1.
I sincerely hope that you enjoy...
Duke ))
Part 1 - Thursday Morning
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I'd gotten into the office really early this morning.
Reason? I'm just incurably nosy! I wanted to be on hand if anything kicked off again. Well, anybody would wouldn't they?
It had all started yesterday afternoon when my boss had given one of our team leaders a public dressing down in the middle of the large open plan office that we shared with some other support sections. She'd been so angry! It's not that I have much compassion for Georgia, who's a lazy slob at the best of times, but it had been really unusual for Astrid to lose her temper so openly. She's generally pretty restrained, cold even, particularly around other people. It's why Georgia and her gang had christened her the 'Ice Maiden'!
I had some sympathy for Astrid because Georgia is not only a lazy slob, but she's a bitter lazy slob as well! She'd expected to get the job of Marketing Sales Executive when it became vacant nine months ago and had been absolutely livid when it had gone to an 'Outsider'. I'd only joined the company a few months before, straight from University, so most of the 'politics' just washed straight over me, but since then it was clear that Georgia was being as uncooperative as she thought that she could get away with!
This time she'd really dropped a clanger though. Big time! When she'd forgotten to contact a key client with a vital contract update that was on a tight deadline, the client had clearly got hold of Astrid and given her a hard time. On top of all of Georgia's other little slights and barely disguised insolence I guess that the phone call had been the final straw and she'd stormed out of her office and really taken Georgia apart!
Frankly, everything that she'd said had been true, and some bosses would probably have fired Georgia on the spot, but after she'd run out of steam and realised how much attention she'd drawn. Well, everyone around had stopped working to stare, many open-mouthed, so she took a deep breath and almost dragged a red-faced Georgia back into her office, presumably to continue the 'discussion' in private!
I'd had to smile because I wasn't part of her 'gang' and I'd quite enjoyed Georgia's discomfort. She was always bitchy to me because I'd rebuffed her early attempts to get me to join the 'anti-Astrid' faction. I wasn't exactly an Astrid fan because, as I've said, she was rather cool and distant in her dealings with all of her staff, but I'd always thought that she was fair, even on the occasional times when I'd been on the receiving end of some critical 'feedback'. It may have stung at the time, but on reflection I'd usually agreed, somewhat reluctantly, that she might have had a point!
Looking round, I noted that the rest of her team were already in, grouped together around the farthest desk from me, probably so I couldn't hear what they were saying. Geoff, Alan, Simon and Sean were older than me, late twenties probably and they'd been in the team for years, maybe as long as Georgia herself. I didn't really know. After getting the cold shoulder, I'd rather left them alone. 'Courteous and professional' probably summed us up. After all, we needed to work together and I wasn't about to upset Astrid by failing in any of MY assignments!
The other member of our 'virtual' team trooped in about five minutes later. Angela gave me a beaming smile and a bright 'Morning David' as she swung her big brown shoulder bag onto her desk and shrugged off her stylish fawn jacket which she hung over the back of her swivel chair. It was Summer outside so she was wearing a thin, flowery top over her perennial faded blue jeans. The tight fitting showed off her gorgeous curves and I had to restrain myself from giving her a wolf whistle! I'd fancied her from the moment she'd transferred to us six months ago, but had been desperately disappointed to find that she was an 'item' with someone in Finance and although she was warm and open to a bit of gentle flirting I'd pretty soon realised that there was little hope for me. We had at least become good workmates and had created our own little anti-anti-Astrid gang!
"Anything happened yet?" she asked as she surveyed the office expectantly. Clearly she too was intrigued to see what would unfold.
"Neither of them are in yet," I replied, "...maybe she sacked Georgia and didn't tell us?" I added.
"Don't think so. I saw Georgia talking to her brood before she went home last night and she definitely said that she'd see them this morning. She said something about organising a 'surprise' as well!!"
My eyebrows rose. I wondered what that could possibly mean!
Then our attention was drawn to the corridor leading down from the elevators. Astrid had arrived!
She strode purposefully into the open plan office, giving the whole place a quick scan as she entered. She was the model of a smart, professional executive, wearing her usual elegant, well tailored suit. This time in navy blue, the jacket open over a pastel blue blouse that was just tight enough to give a nice hint of her firm bosom without being suggestive. The hem of her skirt was just slightly above the knee and narrow enough round her hips to show her slim figure off to perfection. Her blond hair was drawn back from her narrow, angular face and tied up with a clasp of some sort. She was carrying a small, brown leather briefcase that swung at her side as she walked, which naturally drew my eyes to her legs, clicking along above blue high heels. They are nothing short of sensational and had my undivided attention all the way to her office!
"Put your tongue back in David!" laughed Angela as I finally dragged my eyes back to my desk.
She was grinning widely as she swung herself my way on her chair, opened her knees a little and gave me a suggestive pout, "What's the matter, aren't I woman enough for you...?"
I was hoping that I hadn't gone red as I responded equally playfully, "You certainly would be if you'd just drop that irritating boyfriend of yours!!" Never a truer word said in jest!
She laughed, "You're definitely my first reserve David!"
It wasn't quite what I wanted though. My love life was currently going through a bit of a barren spell and I'd found myself having the occasional hot dream about both Angela and my boss!
"Did you see her clock that Georgia wasn't in yet?" Angela added as she turned back to her desk. It was true. I'd spotted that as well before her legs became the centre of my universe. I'd noted the frown as she looked at Georgia's area, and also the more friendly nod of recognition she'd given me and Angela as she'd passed. At least she didn't seem to have lumped us in with the 'enemy'!
I got back to work, but still eyed the wall clock as time went on and there was no sign of Georgina appearing. Maybe she had been sacked after all!
That theory went at about twenty past nine when she finally did appear, in the company of a strange, scholarly looking man. She's not tall, but the man seemed even smaller. He was wearing an old brown suit over a fawn pullover and white shirt. His hair was ruffled and his eyes were hidden behind thick brown rimmed spectacles. He looked just like an absent minded college professor!
Angela and I locked eyes in a simultaneous but silent 'What's going on here?' look.
Then I had an even bigger surprise when they went straight over to Astrid's office door, knocked and disappeared inside!
After they'd been in about thirty minutes, I could contain my curiosity no longer and sidled over to the copying machine where one of Georgia's cronies, Alan, was pretending to do some work whilst keeping an eye on Astrid's nearby office door. I could tell that he wasn't concentrating on what he was doing because he nearly jumped out of his socks when I tapped him on the shoulder!
"Who was that who came in with Georgia then?" I asked innocently when it looked like his heart attack had passed.
"Nothing to do with you, smart-arse!" he snapped back sulkily, but when I didn't go away he added, "She's just taken in a red-hot sales lead to see the Ice Maiden if you must know!" Then he turned on his heal and retreated to his desk.
That made it even stranger, because we don't normally deal directly with new leads, and this particular chap had looked the least like any sales lead I'd ever seen, 'red-hot' or otherwise!
And 'stranger' piled on 'stranger'! When they finally reappeared out of Astrid's office after nearly an hour Georgia took him into one of our small meeting rooms and then came over to me and asked me to join them. I was gobsmacked! It wasn't my role to deal with these type of clients but she just said that Astrid thought that it was important that I provided some technical input so up I got and into the room I went!
We sat round a small table and he began to speak. It was hard to concentrate on his words because his eyes, even through the thick glasses, seemed to draw your attention away from what he was saying in a very deep, intense voice. I tried hard to follow the conversation, but I knew that I was missing something and when Georgia finally brought the meeting to an end, I found that I was really struggling to remember what had been said!
We trooped out and shook hands warmly. Georgia even patted me on the back, so she must have been pleased with the outcome, but when I got back to my desk and Angela asked me what it had all been about I couldn't tell her. She raised her eyebrows in mock exasperation.
